Decode
by BobWhite
Summary: A missing agent has the team scrambling to find her and who took her. R&R 2 find out more.
1. Missing Agent

**Full Summary:**

Kali Royo is new to the FBI and has been assigned to Don's Violent Crimes Unit by the Director of the LA Field Office. Three months into working with Don and his team, a figure from her past shows up looking for revenge. What happens when Kali is kidnapped, shot and left to die in the desert? Will Don and the team find her before time runs out? And who is the person that took Kali in the first place? Did she do something to him before she joined the Bureau?

Kali's thoughts and memories will be in _Italics_ the whole time she is missing as well as when she is rescued so don't yell at me, please and thank you.

**Missing Agent:**

**Kali Royo:**

_This can't be happening. They said he would never get out of jail. Why did they say that? He's out of jail now. They told me he would be locked up for the remainder of his natural life. Why did he have to come back now? I was just starting to get my life back in order. Why now? Where am I that it is constantly hot out? What did he do to me this time? Will i survive him this time?_

_I opened my door this morning and headed out to my car. The second I opened my car door I heard a noise coming from behind me and turned to see who it was. It was him. He looked pissed and he had no right to be. The last time I as __him__, he was being hauled from the court room and back to his cell at Riekers in New York City. He had no right being here. How did he find me? I had made sure he wouldn't be able to find me by joining the FBI and moving to a different state. I was literally on the other side of the country. He couldn't have known where I was going. I hadn't told anyone where I was headed._

_Uhh, the pain is unbearable. What did he do to me? Why am I in so much pain? Why did he have to come back now? Wherever I was, it was very hot. Lucky for me, I still had my phone on me. A trick I had learned from a friend of mined that had been in the military. If you really want to hide something of value and you know that your possibly going to need to use it if you ever got into trouble: put it in your bra, but make sure you are wearing a sports bra or else it would just fall out. Good thing I was wearing a sports bra._

_Pulling my phone out, I turned it on and noticed about four missed calls, all from the FBI. They were probably trying to figure out where I was. They would have to hurry though, because I estimated that I had about another eight hours before I died of dehydration and whatever wound __he__ had inflicted on me before he left me wherever I was. I looked up and around me. if I stayed in one spot, there was more of a chance that they would be able to triangulate my GPS signal and get to me faster. But then again, staying one spot wasn't necessarily safe either._

_I grabbed anything of usefulness and headed out. Instead of putting my phone back in my bra, I had slipped it into my front pants pocket to keep it safe from falling out as I walked. I pushed myself up and headed out. I had no water and no food. All I had was a small backpack that contained the minimal amount of whatever he thought I needed to survive. This was going to be hard if I wanted to stay alive long enough for someone to figure out I was missing and start looking for me. Please, Charlie, please figure it out soon. I don't think I can handle a whole day out her alone._

**LA FBI Field Office: Violent Crimes Unit:**

Don looked up and around. An alert had gone out about two weeks ago about an inmate that had escaped from Riekers in New York City. Everybody was keeping an eye out for him because he was on of the more dangerous criminals. He had the ability to disappear from one state and show up in a totally different state. Which is what he did; he'd left New York and ended up in Los Angeles. That was nearly two weeks ago.

All agents had been on alert, so when one of his own agents had neglected to show up for work that day, he'd sent Nikki and Liz to her apartment to see where she was. They weren't able to get into her apartment because it was locked but they had noticed that her car was still in the parking lot so they went to have a look. What they found made them stop dead in there tracks. Liz called Don as Nikki grabbed the camera from the SUV and took some pictures of the car and the surrounding area.

And alert went out ten minutes after Don got the call from Liz.

MISSING FEDERAL AGENT: KALI ROYO

DATE: JUNE 14, 2009

TIME: UNKNOWN

MISSING SINCE: JUNE 14, 2009

LAST SEEN: JUNE 13, 2009, APPROXIMATELY 10:00PM

IF ANYONE SEE HER CALL THE FBI'S LA FIELD OFFICE or LAPD.

As soon as the alert went out, the FBI office got even busier than it had been when they thought she had just slept in. Now, it was one of their own agents missing and this guy had gotten a good head start on them all. The 'MOST LIKELY GRABBED BY ZORAN SAVO, KNOWN COP KILLER' was left out just in case she hadn't been grabbed by Savo.

The FBI got busy tracking down where Savo had been since escaping Riekers nearly two weeks ago.


	2. In The Dessert Part I

**In The Desert Part 1:**

**Kali:**

_Pushing up from where I had been left with only the backpack he had given me and my cell phone in my front pants pocket, I headed to what I assumed was a road but couldn't really tell. I now knew that I was in the Mojave Dessert. Zoran couldn't have dumped me in the worst possible place. I also knew that he had shot me in the shoulder and figured the buzzards would pick me apart. But what he didn't know was that I had grown up with a father who had been a survivalist. My father would take me out to some of the harshest places on Earth and teach me how to survive if I ever needed to. It was the only way my father and I had been close._

_My mind raced back to the first time I had ever met Zoran. He had been waiting for me when my shift was over one night at work. He had come into the restaurant when I was sixteen-years-old and my life was never the same after that. He had wanted to get to know me, had wanted to date me, but I had denied him, telling him that he was way to old for me, that I didn't like him that way, that we could only be friends. He immediately got pissed and had stormed off. I had shrugged it off and headed home like nothing had happened. I shouldn't have shrugged it off that's for sure. After that night, for the next two years, he made it his priority to make my life a living hell. He followed me home from school, work and even followed me when I started dating a boy I liked at school. On our first date together, the boy [not going to say his name] and I went to the movies and then to dinner. We were having fun. Zoran didn't make his presence known to us on that date but on the following dates, he was constantly around, telling the boy that if he broke my heart he'd kill him. The boy asked me about him one day and I told him that he had been a customer at a job that I had worked when I was sixteen. The boy is the one that had told me to go to the cops and said that he would be there with me when I told them about Zoran. So we went to the cops and Zoran was arrested the next day and charged with being a serial stalker._

_My mind drifted back to the dessert and the current predicament that I was in at the moment. I kept walking, not knowing where I was headed, just kept walking. My cell was fully charged, having charged it all last night, so I could keep it on and they could find me faster. Zoran hadn't left me anything that I could use as a reflector of any kind so I had ended up taking the back off my cell phone and attaching it to my jeans, knowing the reflection would get someone's attention. Continuing to walk, I headed to what I thought was North, but didn't know if it was North or not. The pain, the heat and the fact that I had been left in the middle of nowhere were starting to take a toll on me and I hadn't even gone ten feet._

_I felt my phone vibrating and stopped. Pulling it out, I saw Colby's number flashing on the screen. I sank to the ground and answered the phone. I could barely hear Colby and I knew he could barely hear me. My mouth was already parched dry from not drinking any water and I was starting to become dehydrated. I listened to Colby tell me to hang on, that they were coming for me. I told Colby to tell Charlie to triangulate my cell signal to see if he could find me faster, then before my phone cut us off, said one word: dessert._

_Not knowing if they had heard the word dessert, I pushed myself up and headed for a few rocks to try to get some shade from the sun. It was going to be a long night out here and I wasn't in the mood to try to comfort myself until I was near someone I knew. Rocks would protect me better then a tree would. Rocks would keep me warm and out of the wind and possibly keep the smell of me away from the wild animals that roamed the dessert at night. A tree would keep me exposed to the cold wind and air and would most likely draw the wild animals that roamed the dessert at night straight toward me and I wouldn't be able to stay alive long enough for Don and the team to find me._

_Please, Charlie, listen to Colby and find me as fast as you can. I don't know how much longer I can hold on; God let them find me and let Zoran be found for what he has done. Let Zoran be not only found but killed as well._


	3. The Search

**The Search…:**

**FBI Field Office: L.A:**

Colby heard only a few words from the conversation with me. He'd heard dessert, Charlie and triangulate. He didn't know if Kali had heard him or not but went immediately to where Charlie was and told him what he'd heard from me over the phone. Charlie sat at his computer and typed in my phone number, searching for a signal. If Colby had been able to get me on my cell for a few minutes, then there was a possibility that I had told them exactly where to find me. Charlie waited a few minutes to let the system triangulate where I was and then put it up on the main screen. The whole team plus Ian, Lt. Walker, Amita and Larry were in the WAR room, waiting for what the search would bring up. Colby getting ahold of Kali had been the first major step in trying to find her, now they just needed a location to start looking.

The FBI had already searched the whole LA area and had come up empty handed. Now with this new information, it was starting to look like they would find her. When the search area came up on the main screen, all looked in disbelief. The search area was big, but Kali's cell signal was moving so they knew that she wasn't hurt, at least not that bad. But the area they were to be searching was still pretty big. Charlie turned towards Don.

"Where exactly is that Charlie?" _Don asked._

"It's in the Mojave Dessert. She was left in the dessert. So what Colby heard was right. She had told us exactly where to look for her."

"Can you make the signal portable so we can find her faster, so we know exactly where to look for her?" _David asked._

"Of course, I'll upload it to your GPS devices in the cars. And you should probably have a helicopter on standby or ate least in the air when you find her. Being in the dessert as long as she has already been and probably without water, she's going to be severely dehydrated. Not to mention the fact that she probably doesn't have food or won't know where to look for food in the dessert."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that Professor," _Ian began_, "I've looked over her file, before she joined the Bureau, she was with her father at his job. He was a survivalist and he probably taught her how to survive in a dessert if she ever needed to. Her father is known around Quantico, he teaches a lot of people, whether they be civilians, military or law enforcement, how to survive in the worst places ever. If anyone knows how to survive, it's Kali."

"Well, then she's going to have a long night because we're not going to be able to get out there till the morning. And there is no point in looking for her in the dark when we won't be able to see anything. We'll alert UCLA to what is going on and have a helicopter on standby just in case she is in worse condition then we think."

"Good idea. Though we may lose her cell signal during the night. She'll most likely turn it off to conserve the battery longer." _Amita said._

The team alerted UCLA Medical Center on what was going on and had a helicopter standing by just in case one was needed. Then they waited until the morning to continue the search, though it was one long wait, since they all kept looking at their watches.


	4. The Dessert Part II

**The Dessert Part II:**

**FBI Field Office: LA:**

Don, the team, Ian, Lt. Walker, Charlie & co were at the office along with other agents. They were getting ready to head to the Mojave Dessert and start looking for Kali. The helicopter was on standby just in case it was needed and UCLA Medical Center was also on standby, waiting for them to find the missing agent and bring her in. Everyone had a backpack filled with water and all were using there SUV's to make the trip. The search quadrants had been uploaded into all GPS systems in the vehicles and everyone was ready to leave by eight o'clock in the morning.

As everyone headed out, Charlie & co told them that they would be updating the search quadrants every hour and to look for possibly new data on the GPS systems. As the agents headed out, Charlie, Amita and Larry went into the WAR room and watched as Kali's phone came back on the grid and Charlie let Don know that she had turned her cell phone back on. Charlie, Amita and Larry got settled and waited for Don to let them know when they had arrived at the Search Quadrants that had been uploaded into the GPS systems of the SUV's.

**Kali:**

_I had turned off my cell phone during the night knowing that a search wouldn't be initiated until the morning and fallen into a fitful sleep crouched between three rocks. Waking at around eight in the morning, I turned my cell back on and pushed up out of the rocks, moving towards a cactus, where I knew food would be. The cactus fruit is very edible and all cacti have water in them if you can get to them. Opening the backpack to see what Zoran had left me, I noticed a small pocket knife and grabbed it. Using it to cut open a branch on the cactus, I grabbed the empty water bottle and filled it with the water from the cactus. After the water bottle was filled, I moved to the cactus fig. I cut four cactus figs from where they were and opened them up, eating the insides._

_As soon as I was done eating, I zipped the backpack up, pocketed the knife and grabbed the water bottle, then headed out, moving towards wherever I thought the road might be. I was in pain but I kept moving. If I kept moving, my team might be able to find me faster. I sipped the water from the bottle, a little at a time, but knew that I would run out way too soon. Cactus water was drinkable, but drink too much and you can dehydrate yourself even worse then you already are*._

[_*_AN-Don't know if this is true but in this story it is. I don't have internet on my computer, so I can't check to see if it is true or not.]

_The figs did wonders on my stomach, but I also knew that I would need more food and soon. The dessert wasn't someone you messed with. I knew how to find water and food, but as the sun climbed higher in the sky, food was sparser to find and most animals stayed in shaded areas as well as holes in the ground. And you shouldn't put your hand into a hole without knowing what is inside first. You never know if you are going to put your hand into a scorpion nest or snake nest. I moved forward, pushing on, listening to the sounds of the dessert. I was listening for anything that was out of the ordinary, like vehicle sounds, which would mean that the FBI was searching the dessert for me._

_When I went to take another drink from the bottle, I realized all my water was gone. I stopped and put the bottle back in the backpack, then shoved myself forward. There was no more water and I couldn't find another cactus which meant that there was going to be no more cacti figs. The sun beat down on my shoulders and with no way of protecting myself from the rays; I could feel my skin starting to burn. I kept my arm tight against my abdomen. I had used the sweater I had worn yesterday morning and tied my arm to my body, so as not to injure my arm anymore than it already was. I trudged on._

_Trudging on, I heard thunder clouds or what I thought were thunder clouds rolling over the sky. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of a helicopter and stopped. The thunder continued, but kept going past. It didn't stop for me, even though I was kept yelling at it to stop. My hope of rescue diminished as the helicopter kept going and I collapsed next to a shrub that offered a little shade._

**The Searchers:**

Don and the team were split into different SUV's as were almost every agent. Colby, David and Liz were in one vehicle, Lt. Walker, Ian and Don in another and Nikki and two other agents in yet another vehicle. All were searching the area very thoroughly. Charlie had relayed the new search quadrants to the GPS systems in the SUV's and they had started off in different directions. Don and his group went to the first search quadrants, Nikki and her group went to the second search quadrants and Colby, Liz and David were working on the new search quadrants. Everyone was looking, everyone was searching, nobody was quitting until they found her. They were looking for anything reflective and stopped everytime they thought they saw something.

As Colby, Liz and David drove past a section they were searching, Liz yelled out and pointed. She'd seen something reflective coming from some shrub. David pulled into the section and called Don and the others and Liz and Colby jumped out and ran to the shrub. Colby slid to the ground like he was sliding into first base and turned Kali over so she was lying on her back. Liz put her hand on Kali's neck, checking for a pulse. David could bee seen running to them as well, calling for the helicopter as he fell to his knees next to his co-workers. They had found me, but had they been too late.

Don and the others got to the quadrant about the same time the helicopter did. The medics got out of the helicopter and ran to where Colby, Liz and David were, trying to keep Kali cool, trying to get her to drink water and using a headband pressed on the wound in her shoulder. The medics got her on the backboard and put an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose and headed for the helicopter. Colby and Liz jumped into the helicopter with them and they all headed for UCLA Medical Center.


	5. And Rescue

…**And Rescue:**

**The Helicopter Ride:**

Colby and Liz were in the helicopter with the medics and Kali as they worked on her. Everyone else was going to meet them at the hospital. Kali had opened her eyes only for a few minutes but in those minutes they had seen the pain and then relief that she had finally been found. Colby and Liz tried talking to her but were pushed out of the way by the medic as Kali flatlined. They held their breath as the medics performed CPR and when they finally had her back, let their breath out. This was going to be a long ride to the hospital.

Kali:

_After watching the helicopter pass by and collapsing next to the shrub, I'd heard someone shout and then the sound of feet pounding, running towards where I now lay. I felt someone grab my shoulder and turn me onto my back. I felt someone else check my neck for a pulse. Then felt the coolness of water being put on my skin. Opening my eyes a little and not for that long, I noticed Colby, Liz and David leaning over me, trying to keep me cool and trying to give me water. My body was shutting down and I couldn't stop it from happening. I was delirious, dehydrated, hungry and about to lose consciousness. And I knew that they could see the pain in my eyes._

_The helicopter was back and there were medics strapping me to a backboard and putting an oxygen mask over my mouth and nose and the next thing I know, I'm being loaded into the helicopter. Colby and Liz jump into the copter and we are in flight, moving towards the hospital. I know nothing more as I feel my heart stop and I can no longer breathe._

The helicopter arrived at UCLA Medical Center ten minutes after bringing Kali back to life. Landing on the Helo pad, doctors are waiting to unload Kali and take her to the ER. Colby and Liz jump out first and help get Kali onto the gurney then head towards the ER with the doctors and nurses. Both are holding one of Kali's hands and telling the doctors all that they know.

**The Hospital:**

Colby and Liz are left in the waiting room as Kali is taken into the ER. Charlie, Amita, Larry & Allen had arrived minutes before the helicopter and Don and the rest of the team are still on there way from the Dessert. The little they had seen of Kali, Charlie knew that this was going to be a long recovery, as did everyone else.

When Don and the rest of the team arrived at the hospital, Don had a dirty backpack with him that looked like Kali had used it. Liz held Kali's cell phone, the back cover of the phone, and the pocket knife that had been taken out of her pockets. If it hadn't been for the phone cover, they probably wouldn't have found her when they did.

Emergency Room:

The doctors transferred Kali from the backboard to the gurney and proceeded to work on her. Having already been hooked up to an IV in helicopter, they now had to put in a Central Line because her veins in her arms were starting to collapse from lack of water. They checked her over then moved to her shoulder and examined the bullet wound. They couldn't believe that she had survived nearly two whole days in the Mojave Dessert by herself and without any water or food. From what the two agents had told them, she had been found barely conscious, barely breathing and barely with a pulse next to a shrub that offered little shade.

Kali's skin was burned and would probably blister from being out in the sun and not getting attention. Her wound was already starting to become infected and they could tell that she was severely dehydrated. After hooking her up to a Heart Monitor and making sure she was stable, they Red-Lined her to the O.R. and a nurse went to the waiting room and told Kali's team to go up to the surgical waiting room.

Surgical Waiting Room:

Don and the team plus Ian, Lt. Walker, Charlie & co all headed to the Surgical Waiting Room and waited for news on Kali. After working on her briefly in the E.R. she had been Red-Lined to the O.R. for emergency surgery. When Colby, David and Liz had found her, she'd barely had a pulse and she had been burned by the sun to the point that her skin had been nearly too hot to touch. Don and the rest were told by Colby and Liz that Kali had flatlined in the helicopter, ten minutes before reaching the hospital. All knew that what kali had gone through wasn't going to be easy to recover from, especially if it happened to her by the man they all knew did it.

Zoran was on everyone's mind as they sat waiting in the Surgical Waiting Room (SWR). As soon as they knew that Kali was going to live and Allen was in her room at all times keeping watch over her, they were going to head back to the Squad Room and start the search for Zoran, whether he be in the state or not. Nobody tries to kill an FBI Agent and gets away with it. Every Government Agency was going to know Zoran's name and have his picture and know what he did. And he wouldn't be able to hide from any of them like he was hiding now.

Ten hours later, with nearly half the people in the SWR asleep, the surgeon walked out. Allen was the first to stand up and at the sound of Allen standing up and footsteps coming to a halt in front of the group, everyone woke then stood up. Though none had really gotten that much sleep being worried about Kali, they had tried to at least get a little sleep, knowing that they would need their strength when they went after Zoran. All were awake and alert when Allen asked the first major question.

"How's Kali doc?" _Allen asked._

"I'm aware that some of the agents helped bring her in and aware of the condition she was found in, but what you're now aware of is if she'll be alright. We managed to remove the bullet that was lodged in her shoulder and she has some lotion on her skin to help with the sunburn that she sustained. Also, she was severely dehydrated. Now due to her being severely dehydrated, her veins started to collapse from lack of water there for a Central Line had to be inserted. She is still unconscious and will be for a few days but after that I don't see the need to keep her here, granted she has some place safe to stay. The burn will go away in a few weeks and her shoulder should be healed in about a month or so. When you see her, she'll still have an oxygen mask on her face, she's going to have to have it for the first day or so then we'll remove it."

"Can we see her?" _Nikki asked._

"I will have a nurse show you to her room. Normally, we only allow two people at a time in the room, but I'll make an exception just this once. Go see her, and encourage her to get better. The healthier she is feeling the sooner she will be discharged."

"Thank you, doctor." _Don said._

"You're welcome. Let me go get the nurse."

The doctor sent a nurse over the Don, the team and everyone else and they were escorted to Kali's ICU room, where they would be able to stay with her as long as she needed them. The Director was planning on having a Press Conference later on in the afternoon, detailing that Kali had been found and that if anyone knew anything about the whereabouts of Zoran Savo, they were being asked to come forward. Nobody thought it would be some kid from New York who would come forward, but that's for later on.

As everyone walked into Kali's room, they all gasped. They hadn't expected her to look so hurt and in so much pain. They knew that her arm would be in a sling and that she had an oxygen mask on, but she still didn't look like the Kali they all knew and cared about. All went up to her and let her know that they were there and that they weren't going anywhere. Don told her that they would find the guy that had done this to her, no matter what. She seemed to here him, but because she had just gotten out of surgery, she was still unconscious and therefore, the nurse shooed them out of the room a few minutes later. Allen told her that no matter what she said he was staying. She couldn't really argue since the doctor had told her that only one person could stay with the patient every minute of every day. She knew that as an FBI agent, the patient was also going to have a guard at the door 24/7 to make sure whoever had done this to her in the first place couldn't get into the room without being seen by the guard. And all staff would have to check in with the guard so he would know that none of them were fakes or anything like that.

The FBI left, leaving Allen to settle in for a night of watching and waiting for Kali to wake up. Don had gotten a call from the Director who had told him that after the Press Conference, the FBI had gotten a call from some guy in New York who said he had information on Zoran Savo and was willing to take a flight to LA to tell them about it. The guy would be in the city the very next morning.


	6. The Long Recovery

**The Long Recovery:**

**UCLA Medical Center: Kali's ICU Room:**

Kali was sitting up, laughing [well as much as she could without being in pain] about something Amita had said. The boy she had remembered from high school had shown up after hearing about what had happened to her and how it had been Zoran that had ended up doing something to her yet again. She was happy he was there and he hadn't left her side since arriving at the hospital nearly a day ago. Kali's team seemed to see the sparkle in both of their eyes as they looked at each other and talked. They didn't yet know that this was the boy that had gotten Kali to press charges against Zoran in the first place.

The boy, whose name Kali had remembered, was James Carter, a very nice man who had grown up to be a US Marshall. He'd been worried about Kali since hearing that Zoran had escaped jail but he hadn't known where she had moved to and hadn't known her number. Kali and James seemed to click, as if this wasn't the first time something bad had happened to her in his presence. Don and the team wanted to know how Kali knew James but weren't going to ruin a perfectly good reunion for that information at the moment.

Kali had woken up two days after being found, one day after James had arrived to help with the investigation. James' boss had temporarily re-assigned James and his partner Jackie to the investigation in order to keep Kali safer then just being let out of the hospital to go back to her apartment. But what James and Jackie didn't know was that she wouldn't be going home, she would be going to Charlie's house. The Solarium had already been set up with an actual bed instead of the couch, which had been moved under one of the windows. Book cases-for the books that Colby, Liz, and Nikki had gotten from her apartment were stacked on the shelves as were some movies-were standing up next to the far wall on either side of the couch. A desk had been moved in as well, under the window that pointed out towards the coy pond. Charlie, Amita and Allen were trying to make the Solarium as comfortable for Kali as possible seeing as she was going to be spending the better part of a month at the house, under protection from James and Jackie of course.

Jackie was told that Kali would be staying at Charlie's house shortly after they arrived and James had gone into the room to see Kali. When asked how James and Kali knew each other, Jackie had said that they had been friends in high school and that that was all she really knew about the situation. They had taken the explanation, but knew that there was more to the situation then even Jackie knew about. James and Kali would have to explain the reason they were so close and the reason he was willing to risk his life just to keep her safe. But that would be later.

Kali was being discharged that very day. The doctor had examined her that morning and told Don and the team that she would be released as soon as she felt up to it. She of course wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible, since, according to her, she felt like a burden to the hospital staff now that she wasn't in serious condition. The staff in turn told her that she was still in serious condition but that she was well enough to go home. She had smiled at that. James seemed not to be able to keep his gaze off of her smile or for that matter; any part of her and everyone could tell that he cared deeply for her.

**Charlie's House:**

As soon as she was discharged from the hospital, James and Jackie drove her to Charlie's house, with an FBI escort of course. Kali would have to go into the FBI Headquarters tomorrow to give her statement, but for now, she was getting out of the hospital and would be eating normal food. James was driving and knew, as he looked in the rear-view mirror at her, that this was going to be an even longer recovery then it had been the first time. The first time Zoran had gotten his hands on her, they had been eighteen and he was the one that had persuaded her to go to the cops about him. In fact she was the one that had inspired him to become a US Marshall in the first place.

Charlie, Larry, Amita, and Allen were at the house when Don and the team, Lt. Walker and Ian and James, Jackie and Kali drove up. They would all be staying the night at Charlie's house this first night, just to make sure Zoran really couldn't get to Kali without any of them knowing about it. James stopped his SUV and turned the engine off then got out of the vehicle and helped Kali out of the back seat. He was protective of her because he had been there the first time and he was going to be there for her this time as well.

When everyone was in the house and Kali was resting on the couch, Don turned towards James and asked him the one question all of them had been wondering about. How did he know Kali and why was he so protective of her? And they got the answer from the both of us. James only knew what happened when we were dating, before that; I had been on my own. So the talking began.

Talking:

"So, James, now that we're not in the hospital anymore and now that Kali is somewhere safe for the time being, how did you know of Zoran? I mean you told the Director that you had information about Zoran that we didn't or don't know. And how do you and Kali know each other. Your partner Jackie said that you guys used to know each other in high school." _Don asked._

"Well, I…we knew that this question would come up in the investigation. I've talked it over with Kali, when no one else was in the room with her and she's agreed to tell her story over again, like we did the first time, when we put Zoran in jail the first time, while we were living in New York and going to school there. I personally met Kali the summer before our senior year in high school. We started going out and she seemed to be afraid all the time. I started to ask questions but she stopped me, saying that it wasn't something I could help her with. That's when I started to notice that someone was following us wherever we went and asked Kali about it. The night she told me, I knew that we had to go to the cops."

"What did she tell you?" _Ian asked._

"I told him that Zoran had been stalking me since I was sixteen, since he tried to get me to go out with him when I was working at this little Podunk diner a few blocks from our school. I turned him down, but he didn't seem to take it as a refusal and so that's when he started to stalk me. I tried to tell my parents, but they either didn't seem to mind or didn't believe me. My father worked for the CIA so he was always gone and my mother was a soldier in the Army. Whenever they were gone, I would go and live with my aunt and when I tried to tell her what was going on, she told me that I was just imagining it, that someone like Zoran wouldn't spend his time stalking a young high school girl. Apparently, my aunt knew who Zoran was and still she didn't think it was necessary for me to be obsessing over the fact that he was stalking me. So, when I started dating James, I thought that he would get bored of me when he realized I was dating someone. I was wrong. The night I told James, he was sitting outside in his car. The reason I know that he was was because I saw him out there. I didn't tell James but I guess he figured it out because I didn't want to go home that night. I stayed over at James' house and in the morning, instead of going to school, he got me to go to the cops instead. Zoran was found outside of the school a few hours later, waiting for me to leave school and go home. He was arrested and taken to jail. I thought my nightmare was over then, but I see now that he was only waiting and building up anger that I should have known was coming. I know that I should've told you that I knew him when everyone was told but I honestly didn't think he would be able to find me and the fact that I hadn't told anyone where I had moved to was why I didn't think that he would be able to find me."

"That was a lengthy explanation, but you still should have told someone that you knew him. We understand that you didn't think he could find you or know where you lived when you told no one where you were going, but the Director isn't going to like the fact that you knew him when you were a kid. If he had known the whole time, before Zoran had grabbed you, then he would've had you in a Safe House and we would've been able to protect you this time." _Colby said. Fear had grown in all of their eyes as I told my side of the story about how I had known who Zoran was and why I hadn't said anything._

"She knows that, but I think the other reason she didn't say anything was because she didn't want anyone to worry about her. When she first told me what was happening, she immediately told me the only other reason for not telling anyone was because she didn't want anyone to worry about her. When the case went to trial, our high school emptied out and everyone went to the courtroom to support the one person we thought at the time that had overcome the worst kind of monster. She was a hero to most people that knew who she was but never had the time or courtesy to talk to her."

"I had become a burden without knowing it. Apparently, James wasn't the only one that had figured out something was wrong in my life, they just hadn't figured out how to say anything. The fact that a lot of people who I knew from school showed up at the courtroom told me that people cared more about me then I knew even existed. I even got some out-of-state support from people who had gone through something similar to what I had gone through with Zoran."

"Well, this time, he may actually get the death penalty for going after an FBI Agent. He didn't get the death penalty before because you weren't law enforcement, but now, he may actually get it and go to a High Security Prison." _David said._

"And I know the perfect prison he'd do just great in. I read about this new prison that they just built down south for the worst of the worst criminals. Apparently it's going to be called Force Prison. Something to do with a former Sex Slave who asked legislators to build a prison where even if criminals did get away, they wouldn't make it even twenty feet before they died." _I said._

"And where is this prison supposed to me located?" _Ian asked._

"Antarctica of course, though it's only for the worst of the worst criminals, like those that are supposed to be on Death Row, but get a Life Sentence instead."

"I'd hate to be a prisoner that was sent there. No privileges, no nothing, exposed to the elements and the guards that are down there." _Nikki said._

"Yeah, except, that all the prisoners are blindfolded until they get down to the prison. There's supposed to be a heated hanger bay that leads straight into the prison after the plane is unloaded. And there's no windows, except up high where no one can get to them. As well as the fact that the outside time or 'yard' time is a big gym within the facility."

"Well, maybe we should send all the prisoners in the world there. Then they would never be able to escape. I wonder what kind of guards there is." _Liz said._

"Apparently the military is the security for the facility so that they can make sure for sure that no one escapes, though it's not like they could anyways, if you know what I mean. I mean, who would want to escape just to die twenty feet later?"

"Good point."

The talking stopped, though no one knew if I wanted to continue talking or not. They had seen how tired I had gotten during the talking and had wondered why I still kept displaying the same look that I had worn since getting inside. They knew it probably had something to do with the fact that I didn't want to be a bother to anyone but didn't understand why. James saw the far away look in my eyes that he had seen the first day he had met me and spoke up.

"So who wants food? I'm a pretty good cook, anyone up for bar-b-que?"

"That sounds great." _Lt. Walker said getting up with everyone else._

The look in my eyes told him thank you. He knew that I wanted to be alone for a while, even if that did mean falling asleep for an hour or so.


End file.
